Boonville, Calif., Army National Guard Maj. Rose Abendroth sutured the last of 21 stitches into the chainsaw wound of Los Angeles County firefighter Kevin Taylor, who accidentally cut his leg while fighting the blazes here in Mendocino County.
Minutes later, Taylor was up on his feet smiling.
"I'm lucky," said Taylor. "Major Abendroth is an expert in suturing.
Firefighting is a dangerous job, but the firefighters and guardsmen in Mendocino County know they are in good hands with the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and the California National Guard.
DMAT, a group of volunteer medical personnel under contract with Cal Fire, works closely with the Guard to provide free medical care to those on the fire line.
Because the DMAT personnel are volunteers, a doctor or physician's assistant is not always on hand. To ensure the safety of those on the fire line, the Guard has volunteered personnel like Abendroth, a physician's assistant, as well as several medics to the effort.
The Guard has also shared its ambulance resources, which has been a critical contribution. "The ambulance service provides us with the capability to project forward into the fire line and remove casualties, a capability we do not normally have." said Richard Brown, a DMAT team leader. "The National Guard has become integral to us."
Though DMAT has emergency capabilities, it most commonly treats patients for fire line related illnesses and injuries, such as poison oak and minor sprains.
To reduce these cases, DMAT also coordinates with the Guard to raise prevention awareness. "We like to stress the preventable side of the injuries," said Brown.
Pfc. Barry Young, a crewmember of Task Force AXE 3, visited the DMAT for a cold. "The staff is top notch," he said. "They treat you quickly, and are very caring and professional, especially Maj. A."
Abendroth, a member of the 297th Support Battalion in San Mateo, Calif., said she didn't think twice when asked to serve with DMAT. "I've worked with DMAT in the past"¦ and this operation is phenomenal," she said. "We've fell in very easily and I feel like I've made some friends here, which is nice when you're working around the clock."
Brown also noted the organization's past relationships together. "Our unit has a long history of working with the National Guard throughout the United States," he said. "We worked very closely with the Guard during Katrina and the wildfires in San Diego during October 2007.
"We have a great partnership and look forward to working with the National Guard in the future."
Though set up to care for those working to extinguish the flames, DMAT doesn't turn anybody away. The volunteer corps has provided treatment to off-the-street civilians in the community, contractors and media. "We have people that come here with medical problems, we treat those medical problems," Brown said.
Abendroth said working with DMAT during the wildfires has provided her a feeling of pride. "It's a great service for our soldiers, and we're helping the community too," she said. "The community has been very appreciative. When we drive by in humvees, everyone smiles and waves."